Sounding toy



July 10, 1945.

K. W. TAPLlN SOUNDING TOY Filed April 24, 1944 Patented July 10, 1945 ,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j SOUNDING TOY 7 Kenneth W. Taplin, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application April 24, 1944, Serial No. 532,486 (Cl. 46 -191) 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in toys, and more particularly to a sounding toy in which sound is produced by a plurality of weights slidably mounted on radially .extending'rodscarried by a rotating shaft, the weights being adapted to strike heads or stops at the inner and outer ends of therod during the rotation of the shaft.

, An important object of the present invention is to provide a toy of this character in which the shaft may be either manuallyor mechanically rotated at a desired speed.

A still further object is to provide a toy of l simple and practical construction, which is amusing in its action, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objectsand advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

\ Figure 1 is a side elevational view.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on a line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates a base having uprights B rising from opposite ends of the base and in the upper end of which a shaft I is rotatably supported by the means of the reduced ends or trunnions 8. A handle 9 is secured to one end of the shaft adapted for rotating the latter, and

it will be understood that in lieu of the handle any suitable mechanical means may be connected to the shaft for rotating the same.

A plurality of rods I0 extend transversely through the shaft, the ends of the rods extendin radially from diametrically opposite sides of the shaft. Any desired number of the rods may be provided and they are arranged in radially offset positions with respect to each other.

Any suitable means maybe provided for securing the rods against sliding movement transversely of the shaft and secured on each of the rods on opposite sides of the shaft I is an inner anvil I of disc form positioned adjacent the shaft and an outer anvil I2 is secured to the outer end of each of the rods and forming a head thereon. A hammer I3 likewise of disc form is slidably mounted on each of the rods III for movement between the anvils II and I2.

In the operation of the toy and as the shaft K I is rotated by the handle 9 or other suitable means,the weight ofthe hammers I3 will cause the same to slide outwardlyalong the rods II], as the latter are moved into their lowermost position whereby to cause .the hammers to strike the outer anvil l2, and as the rods II] are moved upwardly, the hammers I3 will slide inwardly along the rods II] to strike the anvils II. Accordingly, a series of sounds is produced through the successive strikingaction of the hammers ,on the anvils. Obviously, while the rods- It! may be placed on the shaft 1 ihfa regularly like and equalized symmetrical radialarrangement, it is noted that, by varying the relative offset or staggered arrangement of the rods Ill relative to each other on the shaft .1. in a modification of the, illustrativearrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, different irregular combinations in the sequences of sounds are produced. This modification being capable of substantially unlimited different arrangements, yet quite obvious, no detailed illustrations other than as shown in Figures 1 and 2 are indicated in details in the drawing. So, too, it is to be understood that the rotation of the shaft 1, in the operation of the 'device, must be at a comparatively slow speed to obtain the desired sound effects by the striking of the hammers against the anvils, that is to say, the speed of rotation of the shaft 1 must not be fast enough to cause the hammers to stay immovably against the anvils by centrifugal force.

It will be understood that the several parts of the device may be made of wood, metal or other suitable material.

It is believed the details of construction, operation and advantages of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A toy of the class described and including a shaft, means rotatably supporting the shaft, means for rotating the shaft, a guide member extending radially from the shaft, a slidably mounted member on the guide member, and stop means adjacent the outer end of the guide member a substantial distance from the shaft and being struck by the slidably mounted member upon the swinging movement of the guide member from a position above the shaft to a position below the shaft.

2. A toy of the class described and comprising a shaft, means rotatably supporting the shaft, means for rotating the shaft, a plurality of rods extending radially from the shaft at diametrically opposite sides thereof, inner and outer anvils secured to the rods respectively adjacent the ends of the rods, and hammers slidably mounted to move longitudinally on the rods and striking the anvils upon the swinging movement of the respective ends of the rods from positions above the shaft to positions below the shaft during the rotation of the shaft.

3. Atoy of :the class :described and comprising a shaft, means rotatably supporting the shaft in a substantially horizontal position, means for rotating the shaft on its support, a plurality of elongated guide rods extending radially from :the

shaft and distributed therealong and relatively radially offset progressively, hammers, one for each rod, each hammer being slidably mounted and movable longitudinally of the rod by gravity, anvils, two for each guide rod, one disposed sad- .iacent. the .inner end of the .rod and the other adjacent the outer end of the rod,.suchinner,anv il being adapted to'be struck by its compan'ion'hammer upon movement .of the guide rod from a position below the shaft to a position above the shaft and ,such outer anvil being adapted to .be struck by the companion hammer upon movement of said guide rod from aposition above the shaft ;to a position below the shaft.

4. A toy of .the class described and comprising a shaft, means rotatably supporting .the shaft in a substantially horizontal position, 'means for rotating the shaft on its support, a plurality of elongated ,guide members extending radially from the shaft and distributed therealong in radially offset relation to each other, .hammer members, one for each guide member, each .hammer member being slidably mounted and movable thy gravity on its respective guide member, an-

vils, one for each guide member, each anvil being disposed adjacent one end of its guide member and adapted to be struck by its companion hammer member upon movement of the guide member swingably into a position enabling the gravitating descent of said hammer member toward such anvil.

.upon rotation of the shaft at a speed not sufficient to affect the movement of the hammer element on the guide member.

6. A sound producing toy comprising a supported rotatable shaft, means for rotating the shaft, an elongated rod extending transversely through the shaft and projecting a substantial distance radially :at opposite sides of the shaft, inner and outer anvils secured, respectively, one to, each end of the rod and the others located adjacent to the shaft at diametrically opposite sides of "the s'haft, and a hammer element mounted longitudinally slidable on each :radially projected portion of said rod and arranged and adapted to strike the anvils alternately on the respective projected portions of the rod upon movement of the respective projected end portions of the rod to and from positions above and below the shaft-duringrotation of the :shaft.

'KEN'NE'I'H W. 'TAPLIN. 

